The spirit and sensibility of pre-Romanticism and Romanticism
Forerunners of romanticism In classicist poetry some features which were in opposition to classicism sometimes appeared – intensive sensibility, relationship to nature and a man, strong expressions of emotional intensity and freedom in form. These features grew. Sentimental tone, attracted by mere and mutability of living. # Graveyard poets – pre-romanticism – sentimentalism or Churchyard school of poets Thomas Gray , 1716 - 1771 interested in questions of life and death, looking into the past and future, not about the fashionable world. Was a scholar, professor at Cambridge but never gave a lecture. He didn’t write many poems because he didn't finish them. Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard – a poem, imagination of the evening. He comes and meditates about nameless, unknown country people, in non-marked graves around him. About what would have happened if they were buried in better circumstances. His main tone in poems is sad and thoughtful. This poem was very popular in whole Europe. Translated to Czech by Josef Jungmann. The poem belongs to 18th century but thanks to its diction it directs towards Wordsworth. Other sentimentalist: Collins People started to be interested in history, in details, parallel with Czech literature: falsifications, 2 poems were discovered and published by James Macpherson . Old poetry became very famous. When Thomas Chatterton was 18 he forged some poems by Rowley . People started to be interested in old literature. Chatterton’s poetry is very mature. # Pre-romantic poetry Different features grew. Nature aroused interest in its mysteriousness and wilderness. This led to spiritualism, historicism, exoticism. William Blake , 1757 - 1827 *engraver – rytec, great artist, visionary and mystic. Didn’t distinguish between reality and imagination. Later very philosophical, exclusive artist, refused old classical style. * Poor, accused of being mad. Spencer supported him for many years. He made his books himself. Wrote, illustrated, printed, in Tate Gallery . Best works from young days. Two collections: Songs of Innocence – short poems, joy, peace, contentment. Songs of Experience – state of soul contrary to Innocence, no longer naïve. World full of corruption, poverty, language is simpler. Blake spoke about the people of the city. His style in these collections agrees with future theory of romantic poets. * In his adult age he created a lot of long, dark “prophesy books” which were unthinkable by a classicist author. His symbolism and philosophy are difficult to analyse – unlike Songs, long poems, these created a complex personal mythology, he invented his own symbolic characters. The French Revolution , 1791 America a Prophecy , 1793 ''<- I really recomend going to the wiki article for pretty pictures :) ''Europe a Prophecy , 1794 '' ''The Book of Urizen , 1818 Marriage of Heaven and Hell - his principle prose work Milton, Jerusalem - great visionary epics Robert Burns , 1759-1796 Wrote about nature, Scottish history. Led wild life – women, drinking, poetry. On Robbie’s day people celebrate. At last poetry helped him. People in Scotland found him work as a officer. His poetry is very lyric, country-like, simple, addresses the reader emotionally. He wrote good satires too in the fashionable style of the 18th century. The Cotter’s Saturday Night , To a Daisy , To a Mouse - most famous poems The Jolly Beggars Auld Lang Syne , A Red, Red Rose - famous songs Romantic prose Gothic novel * subgenre of Greek romanticism a criticism of the age of reason, * this genre is a combination of pseudohistorical romance mixed with horror. Inspired by some of the darker elements of traditional fairy-tales. Tales of the macabre. Fantastic and supernatural, themes full of horror and mystery. The story usually concerns the persecution of a beautiful young woman by obsessed, amoral villain. Horace Walpole , The Castle of Otranto - it was the first gothic novel. It triggered the vogue of writing gothic novels. * “gothic” implies medievalism, mysterious, strange, connected with a distered past. The setting of stories is a gloomy medieval castle, monastery, dungeons, tombs, ghosts, a haunted castle A. Radcliff * developed diabolic features. Novels take place in Italy and Spain. The English believed that such sinister things could only happen in Catholic countries. Connection between Catholicism a amorality. Mary Shelley * The second wife of P.B. Shelley . Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus - technically, it is an epistolary novel. It is written by an explorer to the Arctic Walton to his sister The moral issue is how far human knowledge can go and how far it should attempt to go. Sir Walter Scott , 1771 – 1832 * The first English author of historical novels. * Scottish, born in Edinburg, was lamed for life following an early attack of poliomyelitis . * The most popular novelist of his time in England and whole Europe. He had a large influence over the entirety of the 19th century. * Spent a great part of his childhood in the valley of the Tweed River and absorbed Scottish gossip, history, legend, song and folklore. While studying law in Edinburgh he spent a great deal of time reading medieval romances, history, travel books and other documents, which provided him with the inspiration he later poured into his novels. * His first literary works were translations of German ballads. * In 1797 he married Charlotte Charpentier of French origin. * In he 1802 – 1803 published an important three volume collection of popular ballads. Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border , sometimes filling out missing parts of the ballads from his own invention. * Between 1805-1813 he wrote a series of romances loosely based on medieval forms of poetry – including * The lay of the Last Minstrel , * Marmion , '' * The Lady of the Lake – * These made him, for a time, one of the most widely read of English poets. Waverley - his first historical novel Ivanhoe transferred the scene to England * Scott made a large fortune, but went heavily into debt by buying and restoring the house of Abbotsford on the Tweed, where he attempted to live the antique life of a lord of the manor. * In 1820 was made a baronet * in 1826 the failures of the printing firm of James Ballantyne (in which Scott was a silent partner) and of his publisher, Archibald Constable, plunged him into financial disaster, from which he struggled the rest of his life to escape. Only after his death were his debts finally paid off, with money from the sale of his copyrights. ''Woodstock , 1826. Tales of a Grandfather 1827-30 are from the years during which Scott worked to clear his combined debts. Continuous overwork ended in a nervous breakdown * died at Abbotsford on 21 September 1832. His Journal was published in 1890, and his biography was published by J.G. Lockhart, his son-in-law, in 1837. * He wrote romantic narrative poetry with historic theme, but later focused soley on novels. * He saw Scotland as a great romantic land with an appealingly rough countryside, stubborn people, bloody and noble history. * He made historical novel perspective and accepted literal genre, he showed private lives on the background of historic events * His best writings are from the end of 17th and beginning of 18th century. * Politically was a Tory. He accepted all political and religious opinions. * Born narrator. Focussed on the story and doesn’t mind the time. He lost many readers because of it (too long) * Spoke in the Scottish dialect. * Europe loved him for his romantic stories and for the way he celebrated his country and its people. It had an echo at the time when small nations in Europe started to appreciate themselves. * Influenced by Maria Edgeworth . Poet, novelist. Guy Mannering , 1845, Rob Roy , 1817 Jane Austen , 1775-1817 * classicism * Often filmed, she is fashionable now. There is a difference between her books and the 18th cent. Novels. She didn’t trust romantic exceptions or she laughed at them. She knew there’s no perfect way of life and a person has to chose the best from the ways offered. Her novels are different from novels of romantic novelists. She had only a few readers during her life and throughout 19th century, but now she is popular classic. She is appreciated for her humor, common sense and look into social relationships. * Her theme is the life of English country noble families. She was never interested in lower classes or tradesman. The servants are never shown as individuals. Her heroines are young girls and women, the novels end with weddings. Her adult novels are full of irony, but clever humor. Austen is concerned with the romantic concept of love as madness. To chose a life partner was the most important decision they make in their lives. =Sense and Sensibility= =Pride and Prejudice= * No long introduction, dialogues, starts imediately, in age of romanticism 1830s. It is not a romantic novel. What kind of attention is paid to reason and emotion? What are the values of Austen’s world? * First sentence is ironic, sets the tone, paradox, high-flowing words. Very abstract language. Serious statements when indeed she’s being ironic. * Classicism – before romanticism, used formal statements * Characters: Mr. and Mrs. Bennett, their marriage is dead. He is passive. At the end of the Chapter I she describes them again, but it’s superfluous. We’ve already learned about them. * Alliteration in the title. Symmetry of the title. Written in the time of Napoleonian war. As the war changed the shape of Europe. The novel doesn't give attention to it at all. The only soldiers that are mentioned as potential husbands. Austen’s world is closed, small. In contrast W. Scott deals with great movements in history, Scott’s novels = romance (characters were manipulated by the plot). Austen is an innovator, follows her characters decission making. Integrated characters and plot. * Writing at the age of romanticism – it is not a romantic novel? She doesn’t mention nature, only houses, gardens, cultivated by people. Takes place inside. * Elizabeth walked in the country and was criticized for it. * People’s interests were balls, visits, dinners, letters, writing letters was a leisure, they had time to do it. Austen starts with people talking immediately, without long preface. * The characters do not change, this makes it a classical novel. Their behavior, opinion can change. * The title is very abstract. It’s feature of classicism, as well as symmetry and alliteration, very symmetrical world of classicism. * Elizabeth is more lively, more independent than Jane. Vivacious, gender expectations – accomplished woman. Mary reads a lot and wears glasses = catastrophe. She doesn’t see the world, only knows what she’s read. * Sense of decorum. Mrs. Bennett lacks it, she “advertises” Jane * gentleman = someone who did not have to earn his living, they are criticized because their uncle is a tradesman. Somehow connected with work. x Elizabeth is proud of him, he’s educated, good manners. She tries to change the meaning of “gentleman”, struggling for some social movement, but some people want to keep the social structure rigid. The obsession about classes is still present in English culture. Elizabeth criticize Bingley for lack of resolution * All her novels are about sense (prudence) x sensibility (emotions) * To be wanted emotionallly only is not enough for Elizabeth. She wants to be recognized by his reason as well. * Impressions (connected with experience) x reflections (after experience) of Darcy’s letter, she first jumps to conclusion too quickly. Later on the reflection comes. * Love here is very verbal thing. The body is never mentioned. Love is purely linguistic experience. It applies that the lovely surroundings of Pemberley must be in harmony with his character. * Lydia’s elopement causes catastrophe - if it was a romantic novel, the elopement would be presented in the centre as something great. Northanger Abbey , Mansfield Park , Emma , Persuasion Romantic movement * romanticism in Britain started romanticism in Europe, great shift of consciousness. From rationalism to emotions, imaginations and feelings. * x classicism – connected with science, everything public, shift from public to private * Fridrich Nietzsche came after romanticism, distinguishes two poles in the development of culture, literature and art: 1. Appolonian pole = rationality, logic, public life, rules, regulations and 2. Dionysian pole = passion, emotions, irrationality. He analyses development of culture: these two poles take turns, classicism is an Appolonian pole, the poet had to follow strict rules, heroic couplet is very regular, symmetrical * Romanticism switches to Dionysian art, regulations are not observed, imagination is believed to create the world. * Fichte : whole world is creation of the ego, imagination, the romantic poet is viewed as a profit, divined powers, he creates visions, world in his poetry * Colleridge - his poetry based on German philosophy, * premises of romanticism: * originality: each of the romantic poets is different, originality is a quality * the Other: a term used by French philosophers. Something marginalized in a dominant culture. Nowadays gypsies in our society, in the third world women. * Romanticism started focusing on the Other, while classicism focused on the dominant and high classes. Romantics focused on common and marginal people * The idea of wholeness of life and organic nature. Nature was perceived as an organism, nowadays it’s holistic approach to life. Romantics perceived nature as something we should respect. It was misused by some movements – German nazism, the idea of organism, human being as a part of an environment. When you are taken from there, you are uprooted. Nazis wanted to eliminate Jews, taken from desert, where they can’t do danger for other people. They cause damage in organic German environment. But in romanticism it didn’t have this context. * French revolution – political events prepared the field. Romantic poets were first on the side of revolution. Some turned back again because there was blood shed in revolution.